Château de Combret

English translation

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History

The castle of Combret is built north of the present village, on the summit of a hill on which the medieval castle was constructed. At the end of the 13th century, Combret was a co-seigneury divided between Gibelin de Panat, Hugues d'Arjac and Gui de Séverac. No known document mentions the successive owners before the 16th century. In [year missing], Antoine d'Arjac, baron de Cayla, sells Combret to Hugues Caulet, Lord of Cadars and receiver of taxes of the County of Rodez. In 1641, the castle is sold by Jean-Jacques Caulet, Sieur de La Balme to the diocese of Albi and advocate at the parliament of Toulouse, to Jean de Tullier, Councillor of the King, general treasurer of finances at Montauban, who had been bailli of Rodez. His cousin Pierre de Tullier having inherited it, cedes it to Joseph Antoine de Coignac. In 1779, Jean Hilarion Viguier de Grun, Knight of Saint-Louis, Governor of the pages of the king's great stable, becomes its purchaser. The castle having escaped its sale proclaimed as emigrant property in 1793, returned to Henriette de Viguier de Grun, daughter of Louis and of Victoire de Boissière. By her marriage to Louis-Anet d'Yzarn de Freissinet de Valady, Henriette Viguier de Grun, brought the castle to this family, in which it has remained since.

Description

The castle is separated from the village by a high enclosing wall pierced with a large wooden entrance portal of the 17th century. This is inscribed in a round arch adorned with engaged colonnettes and protected by a hipped roof covered with stone slates. On the left, a more discreet door framed by flat pilasters with Ionic capitals with volutes is reserved for pedestrians. The enclosing wall continues at right angles below the church. The stables, now demolished, were formerly attached to it. The castle bordering the courtyard of honour to the west sees its southern façade rise above a grassy terrace. It presents a large rectangular main dwelling flanked to the south by a corner turret and an échauguette. To the north, it is flanked by a turret and an imposing keep. Another corner stair tower makes the junction between the keep and the building proper. To the north were arranged terraces in the 17th century, delimited by stone balustrades bearing the arms of the Tullier and Meynard families (Jean de Tullier had married Madeleine de Meynard). In 1889, the marquis de Valady drew inspiration from these balustrades to embellish the castle with staircases situated to the west, at the north-east angle and to the north, when he rethought the interior organisation of the castle. The main dwelling rises over three storeys, covered with a roof of stone slates with dormers remade at the end of the 19th century, at the time when the stair tower that rose at the heart of the main building was levelled. When the openings were not reopened in the 19th century, they retained their mullions and transoms. The west façade overlooking the valley is supported by buttresses up to the height of the 1st floor. One can see at the storey a round arch Romanesque opening occluded. The east façade is animated by a series of fine mullioned windows. The ground floor is pierced with small openings that light the rooms of the ground floor. A fine entrance door with flat pilasters and Doric capitals opens onto the staircase. The south-east angle is defended by an échauguette of square plan raised on a squinch. The keep, 18 m. high, has retained its lofty appearance. It is without openings to the north and to the east. A vestige of primitive construction, it ensured the watch while being a grain store. Access was at storey level. The vaulted hall on the ground floor served as a wine cellar: the grapes were brought by a small opening made at the base north of the tower. In the 16th century, it was pierced with five mullioned openings lighting the various rooms that were fitted out on each storey in the two vaulted levels. At that time a spiral staircase was built in the western part of the tower. The various levels originally had two large rooms situated on either side of the staircase with straight flights. These volumes were redistributed and partitioned from 1889 by the marquis de Valady. On the ground floor is found the kitchen enlarged by the scullery built on the east façade by Victoire de Boissière (1775-1846). The dining room was formerly a wine cellar that communicated with a cellar transformed into a pantry. On the storey, one found the reception rooms: salon and dining room. They have changed function. The salon to the south was divided in two to house bedrooms. The dining room, once installed on the ground floor, was divided into a large salon and small salon. The second storey is occupied by four bedrooms. North of the castle at the far end of the garden, is found a building on two levels. The ground floor open to the west by a wooden door with openwork slats ensures the aeration of a vast barrel vaulted hall.